THE UPPER HOUSE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 70, 9 August 1912, Page 5

THE UPPER HOUSE.

TO BE MADE ELECTIVE. THE NEW SCHEME. (By Telegraph-Own Correspondent.) Wellington, Last Xight. Reform of the Legislative Council is proposed in the Legislative Council Election Bill, introduced in the Council by the Hon. I. H. D. Bel! this afternoon. The first provision is that in future members of the Council are to be elected not appointed. The measures goes on to make it perfectly clear that proposed laws appropriating revenue or money or imposing taxation, shall not originate from the Council. A proposed law, the Bill says, shall not be taken to appropriate revenue or money or to impose taxation by reason only of its containing provisions for the imposition or appropriation of fines ov.of pecuniary penalties, or for the demjind or appropriation of fees for licenses or fees proposed or services. Under the proposed law the Council may not amend proposed laws imposing taxation, or proposed laws appropriating revenue or money for the ordinary annual services of the Government. ■ The Council may, at any stage, return to the House any proposed law which the Council may not amend, requesting proposed amendments, and the House may, if it thinks fit, make such amendment; otherwise, the Council will have equal powers with the House in' respect of all proposed laws. ! METHODS OF ELECTION !

For the purpose of electing members to. the Council New Zealand is divided into two electoral divisions—North Island and South Island. Each division will return twenty members, elected by those who are qualified to vote at the election of a member of the House. It is, however, provided that at the general election of members of the House there are to be elected ten members for each electoral division to serve on the Council, and at the next general election ten other members for each electoral division at the succeeding general election at which-the election of the full number of twenty members has been completed, and at every succeeding general election one half of the members returned for each electoral division will have to vacate' their seats, but will be eligible for reelection. The members who will vacate, their seats will foe those who have served i the longest in the Council without reelection. The returning officers appointed for the election of members of the House will act as assistant-returning officers for members of the Council. Can- j didates for election to the Council must' be nominated by not fewer than two electors. The nomination fee is fixed at £lO, which will be forfeited if the candidate does not have recorded one-third of the quota of votes. The poll will be taken on the day of the general election for members of the House and simultaneously therewith, but the ballot papers will be differently colore!, am! will be placed in different 'boxes. No scrutineers will be appointed—a decision probably arrived at owing to the fact that there will be about 4000 polling places, but provision is made for the appointment of supervisors in their stead, to exercise duties which the scrutineers would otherwise exercise. The manner of voting is to be different from that employed in connection with members of the House. A voter will have to vote for at least three candidates, numbering the candidates he votes for in his order of preference. 1. 2 and 3. He may go further down, if he likes, but it is not compulsory. The position of the present nominated members of the Council is not affected. No further nominations of Maoris to the Council are to be made. The schedule to the Bill contains a full> and elaborate explanation of the system of proportional voting to be adopted under the proposed scheme. It is based on Lord Courtenay's scheme, introduced in the British House of Commons. j

TIM UPPER HOUSE'S ATTTTUDE. Wellington. Last Night. Considerable interest attaches to the possible fate of the Bill introduced in the Second Chamber for the reconstruction of the Legislative Council, The. card has not yet been definitely '''pricked," but enquiries go to show that it is probable that the measure may be defeated on its -second reading. Enquiries made hy a representative of this paper go to show that this is not due to a general manifestation of hostility by present members. Some, for instance, contend that such a drastic reform should not be introduced in the first working session of a new Parliament —in other words, that the Legislature should be given a second chance of considering the proposal. It was claimed that a member who voted for the Bill would commit political suiside if he did not see a probability of •being elected at the ballot. Still, there is more than one member who will support the Bill on the ground alone that in principle election means sound democracy. Another claim made by some members is that a Second Chamber's functions include that of preventing hasty legislation, and they desire that the, present proposals should be considered in all their bearings before a determination is arrived at. The Bill will not, of course, come forward for discussion for about three weeks, -as the Council has adjourned until August 21.